The Fantasy of a Comfy Retirement Has Always Been a Mirage

On Thursday, a woman named Sharon from Minnesota called into C-SPAN’s “open forum” to express her despair about the cost of living. “I’m 65 years old. I’m legally blind. I’m on disability. I went to my doc, and I lost 28 pounds in the last year. I did not need to lose 28 pounds. I did not try to lose 28 pounds. I lost the 28 pounds because I cannot afford to eat anymore,” Sharon explained, speaking clearly even though she sounded near tears. Because of Trump administration cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the high cost of groceries, gas and electricity, Sharon only allows herself $65 a month for food.

Sharon is at the age when many Americans hope to be comfortably retired, yet her situation — struggling to afford basics, reliant on dwindling government support that doesn’t make ends meet — is one that many of my younger readers fear is in their future. The........

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